KARACHI: Religio-political party against road blockades and tense situation in Parachinar, Kurram district continued to paralyze various areas of Karachi for the sixth consecutive day on Sunday, leaving commuters in dire straits.
For many residents, travel has turned into a nightmare due to traffic jams in several parts, forcing commuters to use detours that worsen the situation on other roads as well.
Protest demonstrations are taking place in more than 12 different locations, including major thoroughfares.
Sit-ins are being held at Numaish Chowrangi, Natha Khan Bridge on Sharea Faisal, in front of KDA Flats in Surjani Town, Golimar, Power House Chowrangi, near Safari Park on University Road, Korangi no. 2 ½, Five Star Chowrangi in North Nazimabad, Abul Hassan Isphani Road, Kamran Chowrangi in Gulistan-e-Jauhar and other areas.
The Karachi Traffic Police said alternative routes have been provided for traffic in the megalopolis.
However, efforts by the police to clear the road leading to the airport area from Nath Khan through negotiations with the protesters failed.
Police said the protest continued on the Natha Khan-Airport road while traffic flowed on the road leading to Saddar from Natha Khan to Sharea Faisal.
Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Saturday condemned the continuous road blockades in Karachi “under the guise of protest” and said it was an inappropriate act.
The mayor also reprimanded the protesters for damaging the newly built roads. “Who allowed them to damage the roads constructed recently in New Karachi,” he said while talking to reporters.
Murtaza said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should resolve the Parachinar issue. However, he added that blocking the arteries would not serve the purpose.
“I have informed [Sindh Minister] Nasir Hussain Shah about the issue of road closures and he is working on it. Hopefully the issue will be resolved today as negotiations are going on with the protesters,” he said.
He lamented that if anything happens anywhere in the country, there are demonstrations and road closures in Karachi.
Appealing to the protesters not to cause hardship to the public, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said, “Blocking roads in Karachi and Sukkur will not solve the Parachinar problem.”
The protests stem from the deteriorating security situation in Parachinar, where clashes have claimed over 130 lives since November, a point of recent escalation in the conflict between the two tribal groups.
Reports also suggest that more than 100 children have died due to lack of medicine, although KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif has denied the claims.
Located in Kurram, Parachinar is a tribal district near the Afghan border with a population of around 600,000. It has long been a source of conflict.
Recent clashes have created a humanitarian crisis, with shortages of medicine and oxygen exacerbated by the closure of the highway linking Parachinar to Peshawar.
As part of the rescue efforts, the Sindh Governor’s Office announced that a helicopter carrying medical supplies and other aid had arrived in Parachinar. These provisions were sent on the directive of the Governor of Sindh to deal with the growing crisis.
